


The Bond of Two Brothers

by mysteryreader6626



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Brotherly Love, Gen, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-06-05 04:27:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6689137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysteryreader6626/pseuds/mysteryreader6626
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Ace died, he certainly didn't expect the feel a gentle wind on his skin. He didn't think he would feel warm gentle hands holding him. He certainly didn't NOT expect to hear a small murmur of the name Gol D. Ace. Being reborn as Gol D. Roger's little brother was certainly not on his dying list. Will he ever get along with the man he hates? How about... Never! Reincarnation AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gol D. Ace

**Author's Note:**

> So.. I usually post on FF.net, but I posted on his site, because why not? Authors I adored were moving, and I didn't want to get behind on their amazing pieces of art! So..here I am! Please comment, critics, and give any ideas! I love any thoughts!

When Ace died, he certainly didn't expect the feel a gentle wind on his skin. He didn't think he would feel warm gentle hands holding him. He certainly didn't NOT expect to hear a small murmur say these words, much less anyone say anything after he died.

"Gol D. Ace. That will be his name," said an exhausted voice woman's voice.

Panic swelled in him. Gol D. Ace? He wanted nothing to do with that name! Ace cried loudly into the air at the name. Then, he realized someone was holding him and he didn't like it at all. He squirmed and screamed as much as he could to get the person to let him go, but they only pulled him closer.

"Something tells me he will be something special. A firecracker, that's for sure," the voice continued. A bright light flooded his vision. Ace blinked his eyes only to see the face of a black-haired woman. Her brown eyes and freckled face was the first thing her saw. The first thing that Ace was interested about the lady was that her eyes gave out so much kindness and love. The woman gave a tired face to her newborn son.

"A real fighter, you are, Ace. Gave quite a fight before I had you," she smiled and gave a gentle pat on her son's head. Ace savored the woman's touch. For the first time in a while, he felt… safe and loved by someone else besides the Whitebeard Pirates and his brothers. Ace blinked innocently at the female. Who was the mysterious woman?

"Lura, are you okay? Do you want some rest? Giving birth is exhausting, so you should relax," The doctor told the mother. Lura gave a small smile to the doctor.

"I probably should, but I won't. I don't want to just yet," Lura replied with a determined voice. The doctor looked at the woman worriedly, but knew it was hopeless to object. He knew for a fact that women can be quite determined, and this strong woman was just one example.

"Don't take it too hard," he said. Most woman would pass out of exhaustion after giving birth, but this woman had quite the strong will, but sometimes that won't be enough.

Lura rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Anyways, I am sure my son wants to meet his new brother," she replied.

Doctor Kudo chuckled. "Quite the troublesome son you have. I have never met a person who could eat so much while waiting."

"Quite he is. Can you call him in?" Doctor Kudo nodded and sent someone to fetch the boy. The nervous blond-haired boy tripped several times in his fuss to get out, as well as crashing several things into the ground. He apologized every time, but finally made it out the door.. "Quite the assistant you have," Lura teased the doctor.

"Yes, he is," Doctor Kudo said with a small smile. "A bit shaken up seeing you give birth. A perfect opportunity to tease him, because he was the one who insisted he could handle it. He is way too carefree for my taste." Lura giggled and Kuda smirked. His smile dropped though as he continued. "His mother sadly died giving birth, and his father was unknown. No one wanted to take him in, worried that he was the son of a whore. I raised him then. I couldn't leave the poor boy to the streets."

"The poor boy." Lura said upset. "So, what are you going to do with him? I don't think he is the type to be a doctor."

"I don't know," Doctor Kudo replied quietly. He certainly did not know what to do with his boy He just wasn't the type to be a doctor and Kudo wasn't sure the boy would like to be. The two sat in a quiet silence, waiting for the child to return.

The loud opening of the door interrupted the long silence. A five year-old boy entered the room with a wide grin. His messy black hair and huge grin showed no nervousness for such a young child meeting his new brother.

"Come here," Doctor Kudo ushered the boy towards his mother and Kudo nodded at his son, to tell him he was dismissed.

Lura smiled at her son and held up her newborn son, Ace, so he could have a better view of his new brother.

"Roger, meet your new brother, Ace. Take care of him," Lura told him.

Roger grinned wider and poked his new brother eagerly. His new little brother! Roger was over the moon.

"Nice to meet you, Ace. My name is Gol D. Roger and I am your big brother," Roger told the baby. The child looked at him with wide eyes and wailed loudly.

No, no, no! This must be a nightmare! Ace frantically thought.

Roger laughed loudly, not knowing what Ace was thinking. "He already likes me! Something tells me we will get along, Ace!"

Ace only cried louder in reply. Most certainly, they won't!

* * *

 

**So… Yeah. Here is a One Piece fanfic! I have never had the nerve to write a One Piece fanfic, afraid I was going to mess it up HORRIBLY. Sometime, writing the characters can be so hard! Oda, you have won my respect for the 1000000th time. The first is for writing this epic manga, and for creating such awesome character, enough to make me afraid to write them in case I mess it up! Also, I DEFINITELY DO NOT own One Piece. If I did, I would ruin the epicness that Oda has created.**

**Anyways, putting that aside, this is a rebirth fanfic for Ace, because when One Piece mentioned Marco again made me upset. It only reminded me of how Whitebeard and Ace died. So, here is my way to make them all reunite! I haven't seen a rebirth fanfic as Ace as Roger's brother, which I thought was amusing since Ace despises him. The chapters will be short, because when I write long chapters, I take FOREVER!**

**Can anyone guess who the kid that Kudo adopted? He is a One Piece character! Though I was certainly vague… Well, let me give everyone a major clue. He was on Roger's crew!**

**I am not sure where I am exactly going with this, in fact, not even sure if I should continue. Tell me what you think? If you guys like it, I will write the rest!**

**Please review, fav, and follow! That tells me you like it!**

**-mysteryreader6626 signing out**


	2. Passing Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I… did not mean it to be this long. This is just a chapter to show how Ace was growing up, but I didn't expect it to be this long. Not the longest chapter I have ever written (6000 words-ish), but way longer than I expected. A lot of dialogue, I guess.
> 
> I DON'T OWN ANYTHING, NOT ONE PIECE! Only the OCs. Please review! That encourages me to update fast! Like, this one was really fast. One review makes me day!

Lura gave a fond smile. She held her little baby Ace and gently rocked him back and forth. Ace yawned loudly and snuggled deeper into her chest. He made small indistinct gurgles as he slept. Lura giggled quietly, mindful not to wake the child. Ace just turned around and gave a very loud snore.

"Mom! Can I play with Ace?" whined Roger. He bounced about and down in his seat, basically vibrating in excitement. Lura rolled her eyes at her firstborn's antics.

"He is just a baby. You have to wait a little longer," she repeated to Roger again. She kicked the ground again to rock the chair more. Ace gurgled softly.

"How much longer? Tomorrow?" Roger asked eagerly. He wanted to play with his baby brother, now! This excited him more than food. And that was saying something for a D.

"Just wait a few months. Maybe even a few years," Lura sighed. Roger just wasn't responsible enough to take care of Ace, and plus he was a few weeks old. Ace just wasn't ready to handle the chaos that Roger brought everywhere with him.

"That is too long!" Roger whined loudly. He gave a huge pout. "I want to play with him now!"

"He is too young and you aren't responsible enough to take care of him," Lura told him. Roger frowned and gave a loud whine.

"I am responsible!" Roger pouted. He was responsible enough to take care of his baby brother! It is his job as the older one to baby the little one and protect him from all harm. He was the perfect big brother, and the perfect role model for little Ace.

"Really?" She told Roger with a raised eyebrow. The utter idea Roger was responsible enough was laughable.

"Yes, of course I am! Why do you doubt me?" Roger grumbled.

"Because I highly doubt you are responsible," Lura told him. "What about the time when you were just walking, loose threads from your clothes got tangled up on a shelf, so when you walked, you brought a whole shelf of priceless vases down with you?"

"An accident," Roger grumbled. That was just one tiny accident that was a huge coincidence. He blamed the vases for being there when he just walked by.

"An accident? I had to pay thousands of beri!" Lura huffed.

Roger brushed it off. "Details, details."

Lura snorted. "Details, of course. I doubt anyone else would NOT notice how a giant chunk of their clothes missing, nor a giant thread trailing behind them. Everyone else was staring at you!"

"Details," Roger repeated stubbornly. That certainly was just an accident and not his fault!

Lura raised an eyebrow. "I am sure that a restaurant selling meat across the street wasn't an important detail."

"Meat!" Roger said happily He drooled at the thought of some meat. Lura rolled her eyes and sighed at her idiotic son. He certainly took after his father, that's for sure. Why were D's minds only on food? Having one D was hard enough, Lura could only pray that Ace was better than his brother.

"Oh, don't get me even STARTED on the meat. Who was the one who thought of the brilliant idea to do a meatdance? There isn't even a such thing, only a raindance!" It was so embarrassing! Lura had a panic attack when she found that Roger was missing, then she saw her son screaming for meat to rain out of the sky, hitting onlookers with his wielding drumsticks. She wanted to claim that she didn't know Roger, but sadly enough, she loved her son too much. Or really, some lady said loudly if that was her son, which attracted everyone's attention. Then Roger yelled mom so, so much for that idea.

"It was brilliant! Who wouldn't want meat to rain out of the sky?" Roger rolled his eyes at his mother, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"A lot of people," Lura said to her son bluntly. "Besides, running around waving around to drumsticks while screaming for meat to start raining out of the sky like a crazy maniac isn't anything close to a tweaked version of the raindance."

Roger huffed. "That is stupid. Why would you want rain when you can have meat?"

Lura groaned loudly. She felt a headache coming on. "You don't want to know how many people asked how many times I dropped on when you were a baby."

"You dropped me on my head? Cool!"

"Not cool! It makes me look bad! So, never do a meatdance again. It didn't even work."

"I know what went wrong! I need to wear a hat out of meat!" Roger drolled again at the thought of wearing meat, which you can eat! It was genius! Why didn't anyone come up with the idea sooner?

Lura questioned her sanity for the who-know-what-number time. What was she thinking, getting knocked up by a D? Sure, she loved the male, but having all this chaos made her judge her decisions. Was she really sane? Maybe she should ask the doctor to check up on her sanity. Yeah, that was a plan. Tomorrow she will go to Doctor Kudo.

"What does that have anything to do with the dance? A rain dance is when you DANCE, not run around like a maniac, asking for rain, much less meat. What does clothes have anything to do with it?"

"I… don't know. But I can eat it when I am done!" Don't kill your own son, Lura chanted in her head. She sighed and looked up at the ceiling and counted to ten, to calm herself down. No matter how annoying her son is, Lura still loves him… probably.

"How about the time when you picked a fight with 16 year-olds, when they were triple your size? Kids older than them know better than to pick a fight with them! They put a group of trained marine men in the hospital! And they are marines, trained to fight pirates, for crying out loud!"

"They started it," was Roger's only reply. Lura groaned loudly. Ace turned uncomfortably at the sound. Lura traced her son's face gently, before coming to a decision. She looked up at Roger.

"How about this?" Lura asked, deciding to make a deal with her son. It was a simple deal, really. "When Ace starts to crawl, you can take care of him." Roger nodded his head eagerly.

"Yes!"

~OoOo~

"Ace, come this way!" Roger yelled towards the baby. Lura gave a sharp glare toward her son. Ace sent an angry glare (Since when can babies glare? Who knew babies could be so scary! Lura shuddered at the look on her second son's face, glad it wasn't her that was on Ace's nerves) at Roger for interrupting his nap. He then rolled over on the floor and pointedly ignored him.

Roger pouted and Lura had to suppress her laughter. Being ignored by her was common for Roger, because she was busy taking care of Ace or the store, but by a baby was a new time low.

"Roger, time to eat! I have to go feed Ace, so the food is on the table."

"FOOD!" Roger screamed. Lura just smiled and stood up, ready to get get Ace's food. She looked down to get her baby's lunch, to only look up and gasp. Ace was missing!

"Ace? Where's Ace!?" Lura panicked. She put down her baby's milk and ran towards the living room. She looked around frantically for her baby. He wasn't on his mat, where he likes to take naps.

"Ace? He was just there a minute ago," Roger said in confusion. He stood up, gave a longing look to the gigantic feast spread out just for him (and his mother, but mostly him) and headed over to help his mother, when he bumped into something. He winced and looked down only to see baby Ace.

He was crawling! A huge grin engulfed Roger's face. Finally! He can play with his baby brother!

"Mom! It's Ace! And he is crawling!" Roger screamed happily.

"What!? But he is only five months!" Lura said. She ran over to the kitchen, to indeed see her baby on his knees, crawling. Roger gave her a triumph grin.

Uh oh. She forgot about that little promise! Most certainly, Roger was NOT responsible enough to take care of her youngest son!

Before she could open her mouth to object, Roger reached out to Ace. "Come to your big brother, Roger!" He tried to grab the baby, but a mischievous grin grew on Ace's face. He bolted under the table and around their feets.

"Hey! Wait up!" Roger frantically called towards his runaway brother. He ran after the crawling baby, tripping over chairs and things all over. Ace's gurgling were heard over Roger's screams for the baby to slow down. Maybe gurgles were a baby's version of laughter? She got out of the kitchen immediately, not wanting to get caught up with the game of tag.

Lura winced at the huge crash. She groaned. "Roger!" She yelled loudly.

Roger paused and looked at his mother sheepishly. "Sorry? He started it!" He pointed accusingly at the baby, who blinked innocently.

Lura looked up at the ceiling. "What have I done to deserve this?" She asked to no one particular. All that cooking, and money, counting the food and broken plates, gone just like that.

Well, at least she had an excuse not to allow Roger to play with Ace.

"You can't watch Ace, nor play with him, until he can walk!" Lura paused. Ace did learn to crawl pretty fast, which she was quite proud of, if it wasn't for the fact that he decided to play tag. "Also, until he can talk."

"Mom!"

"Don't Mom me, mister! Now go clean this mess up immediately. I have to go shopping for new ingredients." Lura wanted to cry, knowing all the costs to rebuy all the stuff Roger broke.

"Mom, why do you have tears in eyes?"

"Shut up, Roger, and get cleaning!" Ace gurgled loudly and Lura shifted her glare to him, but it softened. "You, Mr. Troublemaker, are coming with me. Don't forget to make it spotless!" She called to Roger as she picked up Ace and went to go shopping.

"Yes." Roger called. Lura could practically see the pout on his face. Lura slowly smiled. She really loved her sons. They kept her on her toes, that's for sure.

~OoOo~

"Mama. MA-MA. Now you try?" Roger said, trying for the 30th time that morning to get Ace to talk. Lura rolled her eyes. Ace just glared at his older brother. It was odd how natural the glare looked on her baby's face, when directed towards her other son. "C'mon! You can do it! Mama!"

"Roger, you have to allow your brother to learn how to talk at his own pace," Lura called to her son as she used a needle to sew some clothes to sell in her shop.

"But I want him to learn now!" Roger whined loudly.

"Be patient," Lura replied, fully knowing that patient wasn't in Roger's vocabulary Ever since Ace learned how to walk sometime ago, Roger has been growing impatient. "It is almost the new year, and you plan to spend the day before trying to teach your brother how to say Mama?"

"Think he can say Roger?" He asked hopefully, fully ignoring everything Lura just said. Lura just shook her head at her son.

"I can't believe Ace is almost a year old," Lura said blissfully. Time really passed by so fast.

"I can," Roger replied. He ruffled his little brother's hair. Ace just whacked his brother with his hand. "Ow!" Roger whined. Lura just shook her head. Why did it seem that Roger was more of the baby than Ace? She hummed as she threaded clothes together, watching Roger's failed attempts to get Ace to speak his first word.

Loud cheers were heard outside of their window. Loguetown celebrated as the new year arrived. She smiled at Ace.

"Happy birthday," she said quietly. She frowned when she saw the annoyance on Ace's face. Roger was poking Ace and was stretching his cheeks, in an attempt to make Ace smile at him. For the whole year Ace been around, Ace never seemed to smile at Roger, she realized. She clicked her tongue. Couldn't her oldest son have tried a better way to get him to smile?

"Bastard!" Ace screamed at Roger when he let go of Ace's mouth, allowing it go back to the normal shape since Roger was stretching so far, it hurt.

Lura dropped her needle to the ground in surprise.

"Yes, his first word!" Roger cheered happily, unaware what that word meant. "Mom, aren't you happy?! … Mom?" Roger looked worriedly at his mother who was frozen.

Realization of what Ace's first word finally sunk in. Then, Lura did the logical thing in that situation.

She fainted.

~OoOo~

Lura decided to pay a much needed visit to the doctor. She really to check up on her sanity.

* * *

**-mysteryreader6626 signing out**


	3. Angry Moms and Deals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't make Lura angry at all. End of story. Unfortunately, Ace doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut! Luckily, neither can Roger. Then, that is where the word Deal comes in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that I post on FF.net first! If you like faster and more updates, check there first. Please comment and leave Kudos! Thank you for reading!

"C'mon, Ace. Please?"

"No."

"C'mon! He is your brother!"

"Are you sure he wasn't adopted?"

"Ha-ha, very funny," Lura snorted at her stubborn son. Ace crossed his arms and looked away from his mother.

"Glad you think so," Ace replied with a smirk. His eyes trailed behind her and he narrowed his eyes warily. He gave a sharp glare at the object of all his misery. Roger, behind his mother and a few stalls away, was joking around with the owner. He had a carefree, big and fat grin on his face that was too big to fit his stupid face. It reminded Ace of Luffy.

His heart clenched at the thought. Luffy's grin shouldn't belong on that boy's. Roger didn't deserve to be anything like sweet, naive Luffy. That boy didn't deserve to even kiss the ground, much less walk on it alive and well.

Ace wanted to strangle the boy so badly. He hated Roger from the depths to his heart. His mother (Or was it second mother or Lura? This whole reincarnation thing with all the memories of your previous life is so confusing) was flabbergasted at the hate Ace displayed. Let her think what she wants, Ace thought. Just as long as she stops trying to make me get along with that idiot.

"I will even let you eat whatever you want at a restaurant of your choosing!" His mother exclaimed loudly. She threw her arms up in exasperation. She was at the end of her rope. She was really desperate and fed up with this boy. What else could he possibly want? Make her beg on her knees? She still had her pride!

That caught Ace's interest immediately. He was a D afterall. As much as it killed him because it was food after all, there was NO WAY Ace will attend Roger's birthday. Of all people he had to reincarnate with, figures Ace would be stuck with the only man he hates.

Was this punishment for existing or being a pirate? That was a question Ace pondered sometimes, but he didn't regret being a pirate, for meeting Pops and his brothers and sisters and being free. He lived the life he didn't regret, except leaving everyone he loved behind

Why couldn't have I been born into a family that I like? Like someone from the Whitebeard Pirates? Ace thought longingly for the pirate crew. Flashes of their grinning faces and antics caused a warm feeling to swell in his chest. He missed Pops, Marco, Thatch, and everyone else! Besides that no good traitor.

Ace growled at the thought of Teach, who betrayed-murdered-his family, who trusted him, Ace trusted him, all for a devil fruit.

Even if it killed him, Ace would make sure the traitor will pay. He just has to wait till he is older. He just has to get through with this first.

"You are bribing me with food?" Ace asked his mother his disbelief.

Lura shrugged unashamed. "This calls for desperate measures. And how in the world do you even know the word bribe? You are five for crying out loud!"

Ace shrugged. "Just heard it here and there."

"Just like you heard the word 'bastard' here and there, I am guessing?" Lura muttered darkly. Ace hid a snicker from his mother. His mother was still a bit sore about how his first word was bastard, but hey! He was a twenty year-old pirate. He has heard worst. Too bad his mother doesn't know that.

Too bad he was a baby back then too. If Ace could, he probably would've killed Roger in his sleep and call his names that would make Lura wash his mouth. It was a shame he needed muscles to develop and whatnot. Killing Roger early would save him a lot of annoyance from the older boy.

"Don't ask me! Ask baby me!"

"I would if I could. I swear, where did you hear that word? I need to castra- er, I mean, strangle them for saying such things in front of a baby," Lura coughed nervously. Ace had to hide his laughter. Mom probably thinks it isn't appropriate to talk about removing such things in front of a child. I wonder why? The nurses did that all the time with Thatch. And he practically has the brain of a child!

Ace completely forgot that the nurses did the same to him.

Ace felt something heavy grab him by the shoulder. His eye twitched and he tightened his fists. Would it look strange for a five year-old beating up a nine year-old with a pipe, which they know he has had no training of such things in his whole life? I wonder…

"Ace!" A certain idiot screamed happily.

Ace's eyebrow twitched again. That bastard has no right to say my name, Ace thought with a scowl. He deserves to rot in hell forever.

"Roger, let go of your brother. You are making him uncomfortable," Lura told her son. Roger just chuckled and rolled his eyes at his mother. Lura scowled at the act of rudeness, but it wasn't like Roger noticed.

"Nah. Ace loves me! Don't you, you little pipsqueak you!" Roger said with a loud laugh and ruffled his younger brother's hair. Ace did a low growl. Onlookers looked at Ace curiously.

Lura laughed nervously and slapped her son in the head somewhat gently. "Don't make a scene, you two," she hissed quietly.

Ace did a reluctant nod. Mom is probably still upset about how I dine-n-dashed last month, in the process knocking over several people and caused a giant scene. He didn't want to get on the brunette's nerves. Lura has quite a temper, stubbornness, and fierceness, enough to attract a D's attention. She probably NEEDED those to put up with a D and their recklessness.

"But making scenes are fun! Especially when they involve meat!" Roger whined. He did a huge pout, and did those adorable puppies eyes which no one can resist, except him of course. He grew up with Luffy, after all. All puppies eyes were practically useless on him.

"GOL D. ROGER, MAKING SCENES ARE NOT FUN!" Lura screeched furiously. Her hazel eyes were full of anger. An ugly blotch of red slowly grew on her face. Make that no one but Lura and Ace can resist puppy eyes. Ace looked at their mother anxiously, wanting to murder Roger. Can't the dude keep his mouth shut for a second?

"But-"

"DON'T DARE BUT ME! THOSE WORDS BETTER NOT APPEAR OUT OF YOUR MOUTH EVER AGAIN!" She threatened Roger. Ace tried to not snicker, but completely failed. "OH, YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?" Lura's attention snapped toward him. Ace gulped at the look that promised death.

"No," Ace said. He withheld a loud groan. That sounded like a lie even his own ears.

"WELL, IT ISN'T!" Lura continued to yell. "NOW SWEAR UPON YOUR GRAVE THAT YOU WON'T FIND MAKING SCENES AGAIN!"

"Yes, mom," Roger said fearfully. If he wasn't in the same position, Ace would've burst out laughing. The future Pirate King SCARED of a lady. Then again, no lady was as scary Lura when she was annoyed or upset. Well, besides Marco. If he was a lady at least. Then, the awful image of Marco as a lady popped into his mind. He wanted to laugh and throw up at the same time. Next, all of the division commanders all dolled up and dressed as ladies created an awful taste in his mouth and sick to his stomach. Then POPS as a woman popped into his head.

Ace wanted to cry at the mental images. This was going to give him nightmares for weeks. Mental note, NEVER have any of the crew cross dress, besides Izou. No one can pull it off as well as he did. Ace didn't know how, but he just did.

"ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION, ACE?"

Crap. He totally forgot about that. Ace looked fearfully at his mother. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. Ace gulped loudly. He could hear his heart beating in his ears. THUMP. THUMP.

Sure, Ace as a pirate faced more things scarier than Lura, but that didn't mean she didn't remain scary. Probably in his Top Five. She was downright frightening. End of story.

No wonder Roger did so many crazy things, Ace thought briefly while staring into the hazel eyes. After being RAISED by this woman, who could have terrible mood swings when you least expect them, you probably won't be scared of anything.

Ace felt slightly proud that he and Roger survived this long.

"I am waiting," Lura said more quieter impatiently.

"But I didn't even say that making scenes were fun!" Ace protested like the idiot he was.

Lura did the I-am-pissed-off-on-so-many-levels stare.

"They aren't fun!" Ace immediately said, discarding his pride of saying sorry for something he didn't do. Pride just isn't worth it when faced to an enemy like this.

"Good," Lura nodded in approval. "Swear you won't make a scene again?"

Ace immediately wanted to protest. They were Ds! That was like asking for the sun and moon! Luckily, from his mistake earlier, he knew better not to blurt out. He had to think of what he said first.

"Mom? The thing is, we have so much energy in our bodies. We need to do something to blow of steam, which usually causes unwanted attention. It isn't like we do it on purpose. We just… do," Ace said slowly. Lura paused to think about what Ace was saying. Good, she is thinking, Ace thought with relief.

"Good point. You guys are active growing kids, and quite strong for your ages," Lura admitted. Roger beamed with pride, while Ace just felt smug. It was true. Much like his first life, Ace and his sibling/s were one of the the strongest on their island.

Just because he just redid his life, doesn't mean he won't stop training. Though he would like his devil fruit over fire, but hopefully he will find it again. Without it, there was like a big gap missing.

"So, again, I will make a deal. Hopefully, it won't go so bad…" Lura said with a pointed look towards Roger. He rubbed in head sheepishly, much to Ace's confusion. They made a deal before?

"Yeah, yeah. Anyways, what is the deal?" Roger said surprisingly eager to change the subject. Lura smiled at the two of them fondly.

"I will enroll you two in some self defense classes, and you two don't cause any chaos."

Roger barely mused over the offer, before exclaiming a very loud yes. Ace, not the other hand, thought it over.

The Pros: Brush up and even develop some skills. Maybe even meet some useful people.

The Cons: Cause suspicions of how skilled he is and not cause accidental or intentional chaos. Also meaning, don't do anything or else Mom will have my neck. Also, no more dine-n-dash.

Well, what does he got to lose really, though? He can always steal some food or something, and he will just seem extra talented. No one really believe him if he told them he is actually twenty and his older brother's son

"Okay," Ace finally agreed, noticing how nervous his Mom was because he was thinking for so long.

"YES!" Loud voices screamed. Ace jumped in surprise and looked around, bewildered. Lura did too. The citizens of Louguetown gathered around them, some dancing and cheering. Others just looked relieved. Since when were they all there?

"No more troublemakers!" They cheered loudly, much to Roger's amusement. He doubled over with laughter at the looks on their faces. Ace frowned. Did Roger really the only one who noticed all the attention they were gathering? He scowled at the male for laughing at him. It wasn't like Roger really cared though.

"Since when were you lot watching?" Lura gaped openly in shock. Ace wasn't the only one who was in shock, wanting to know the exact some question.

"Since you started yelling," Roger replied, rubbing his nose as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Roger laughed again at their faces. "M-mom! You said not to cause a scene, yet you were the one who created a huge scene!"

Uh oh. Ace immediately took a step back. He already recognized the signs of his mom getting angry. He didn't want to get caught in the crossfire again! He wasn't that big of an idiot. No matter what Marco and Thatch claimed.

"SHUT UP!"

~OoOo~

"Ace! Help me!" Roger groaned in his bed. Ace rolled his eyes and snicker loudly. He didn't even bother to act all angry at the male for acting so familiar with him. This was just too funny.

"This is all your fault, so you have to pay the price."

"But I didn't think Mom would punish me like that!" Roger whined. He gave a huge childish pout, and Ace only rolled his eyes. He seemed to roll his eyes a lot in Roger's presence. Maybe it was his stupidity that was the cause of all the headaches and annoyance

"Stop whining like a baby," Ace scowled and punched Roger harshly on the shoulder. He froze after he did it. He did the exact same thing to Luffy… His precious little brother, which he may not see for a while. Ace could still hear his heart wrenching scream when he died… But only… He didn't.

"I am not whining!" Roger continued to whine, but with a huge smile on his face. He liked how Ace was worrying in his own way.

He probably take it in a way that I care for him, which I CERTAINLY don't, Ace realized with a frown. Would it be wrong to punch him in the face again? Maybe pass it off as an accident when I was aiming for his shoulder?

"Hey, squirt, did you hear?" Roger asked curiously. He leaned forward, despite his sore body.

Ace just shook his head. The idiot. Lura may not do physical punishment, like Garp does (or was it did? Again, reincarnation thing confusing) but she works them to the bone in her shop. His mom sells all sorts of things, from books to clothing, which she makes herself. Lura is quite skilled with the needle and thread. People can even trade her for stuff. It is surprising how just working in a shop like that could make your body sore for weeks. It was even more tiring than the training Garp put Ace, Luffy, and Sabo through! He would be ashamed, Ace thought in amusement. And also kill me for thinking that. Ace was just glad his mom (also known as his grandma which he never got to know, but is now his mom after he just died… Yeah. It is as weird as it sounds) never joined in Marines. If Lura and Garp joined forces, the world will end.

"Hear what?" Ace asked curiously, despite not wanting to know anything from him.

"The library got a new shipment of books this morning!" Roger said smugly, for he was the one who was telling his adorable little brother. Ace scowled at the smug boy. He could practically tell what was going on in his head just by his face.

"Really?" Ace said hopefully. A new shipment? Maybe, today will finally be the day!

"Yeah. You going to check it out?"

"I don't have to tell you!" Ace snapped at the male. He went to go fetch his jacket because it was getting chilly in the morning.

"If you don't get back by lunch, I am eating all your food!" Roger called.

Ace growled. "If you do, I will kill you!" He was entirely serious about that, but Roger, the idiot, just laughed it off.

"Where are you going?" Lura asked, stepping in front of the doorway of their apartment.

"To the library," Ace replied. Lura just smiled approvingly. At least one of her sons was learning how to read. One down, one other to go.

"Be back before lunch. I have signed you up for your classes yesterday."

"You did?" Ace asked with a huge grin on his face. Finally!

"WHAT? YOU DID? I WANT TO GO!" Roger whined loudly from his bedroom.

"IF YOU DID, THEN YOU SHOULD'VE KEPT YOUR MOUTH SHUT LAST WEEK!" Lura hollered loudly in reply. To others, it would make them wince, but not Ace. He was around people with loud voices practically his whole life. In this life, he and Roger inherited their lungs from Lura. Probably. Their father was still a mystery, one which Lurs kept under tight lips. One parent is better than none, Ace though satisfied yet sad at the same time. His mother died for him, yet he died, throwing away his life.

Ace tried to push away such dark thoughts. No use lingering on that when it was in the past.

"There is a class today at 1. So after we eat, you are to head there immediately."

"What class is it?" Ace said eagerly. Their mom signed them up for three different classes: close combat, sword fighting, and shooting. The latter two, Ace didn't really know, so he was excited and nervous.

"Sword fighting," said an amused Lura. Ace was vibrating with excitement. "You better get on with it, if you want to eat and be back in time to go to class."

"Oh!" Ace's eyes lit up with realization. "Be back soon!" Ace threw the door open and flew down the stairs sprinted to the library.

Hopefully, today was the day when he would finally have some answers about how he was here and how to possibly to return back to his real time.

* * *

 

**-mysteryreader6626 signing out**


	4. Meeting a Certain Someone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where have the updates been? Well, originally, I wanted to finish the story on the other site before here, but then I realized at the pace I am going, it might be a while, so I figured, might as well do it now. I am so sorry about this! After I get this story caught up with my updates on FF.net then I should start posting at the same time. It would save a lot of hassle. XD Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy my story and this chapter! Leave kudos and comments! From today on, I am going to be doing daily updates till I get you all caught up. Enjoy!

"No, no, no!" Ace huffed and slammed the next book in frustration. Nothing!

"None of these books have what you are looking for, Mace?" The old librarian told him as she rocked back and forth on her rocking chair. The library was a pretty decent size for a hundred or so to fit comfortably. It was lined with books on shelves everywhere you looked. There were even a couple cushions where you can sit on and a few old, but still useable, tables with few chairs here and there.

"My name is Ace," he grumbled, but with no hatred. The librarian may be a bit weird, but she made delicious cookies. Ace loved the cookies, and she loved him for eating several batches. She even let him take a few books home to research.

Ace snorted. He wonders how people in his previous life would reacr that he actually WILLINGLY did paperwork, research, and read books. Haruta would probably declare that the world is ending, Ace thought fondly. Maybe Thatch would use it as an excuse to party. Marco would probably just roll his eyes, but just smile and watch, but not participate in the festivities. He really needs to relax sometimes.

Ace sighed. He had to find the answers he was looking for to see all of them again and perhaps apologize for ruining everything. It was his fault that Pops died (probably died, anyways) and if he never existed, much less got captured, nothing from Marineford would've happened.

"Sure, Mace. Why, you pumpkins can never sit still! Always looking for something, but never telling poor, old Maple about it," she stated mockingly with a loud cackle. Ace rolled his eyes.

Ace refused to tell anyone what he exactly was looking for, searching every book in the library. From cooking books to storybooks, but he never found anything useful for his cause. Maple was very persistent for explanations, but nothing was more persistent than Luffy, so Ace put up with it.

He wanted answers on how he was here and why. How was he still alive? Why is he Roger's brother? Also, looking for a way to get back to his own timeline, which Ace highly doubted, but wasn't giving up. He had to see Luffy and everyone else just one last time. He would do whatever it took to find a way, not matter what. Even if it is till he dies, he will find a way.

"Yeah, yeah, old lady. Anyways, you sure there are the only books you received?" Ace asked hopefully.

"Who are you calling old, pumpkin? I am still in my prime!" Maple huffed, running her fingers through her graying black hair. She sat in her rocking chair wearing a white dress decorated with flames. Oh, the irony. She resumed her knitting, weaving a red thingy. Ace didn't really care about what she was doing. He just wanted an answer.

"Sure, old lady. Anyway, about the books," he repeated with annoyance.

Maple scowled at him. She paused her knitting to reach down. Ace looked up hopefully, only to see Maple take something in her hand that he couldn't see. He looked at it curiously, but Maple just smirked at him. A puzzled Ace frowned. Then, he felt something hard hit his head.

"Ow!" Ace looked down to see bright red thread. "Ow, ow!" Two more hits. He looked around his corner where he sat on a blue cushion, to only pick up two more colored thread. Blue and yellow, he noticed. Ace looked up with confusion, only to see Maple laughing at him. "What was that for?" Ace exclaimed with confusion and a mixture of anger. He pocketed the thread. He will think about that later.

"That is what you get for calling me old, Macy," she answered with a smirk. Her green eyes twinkled with glee. "Don't pretend you didn't deserve that, pumpkin.

"I didn't deserve it," Ace replied. Maple scowled at him. "I just want to know if you have any more books."

"Nope," Maple replied, popping the p. Ace sighed in disappointment.

"I didn't think so," he whispered softly. How many times already has he experienced disappointment already? Too many times to count. He was visited this library so many times already, as soon as he could run to it. Of course, people recalled him a prodigy for being able to read so young, but Ace just ignored it. He did feel slightly guilty though because he could've been slightly more subtle and he didn't deserve the praise.

"Aw, pumpkin, don't go acting all glum on me," sighed Maple. "That look doesn't fit you, Lace."

"Ace," he responded instinctively. He sighed again, and began to mope in his corner. It was a small corner, tucked away where people couldn't really see him, but the librarian sat her rocking chair next to him after a while, giving him comfort and someone to talk to.

"Oh, stop sighing! You are making me feel older than I really am. I shouldn't be comforting you pumpkins! You should be taking care of an old lady like me," she scolded him.

Ace rolled his eyes. "How modest of you. And aren't you in your 'prime'?" He responded. Maple just scowled at him.

"Details aside, you have better things than to feel all disappointed! Time is a strange thing. You can remember the past, live in the present, and hope for the future. You don't know what is ahead, but you have to keep trying! You pumpkins may be disappointed trillions of times, but that doesn't mean you should give up! What you are looking for is out there, maybe not here nor now, and you don't when you will find it, but it is out there. You can't give up! You will regret it. I do now, looking back on my life. You pumpkins have a whole life ahead of you! So don't you dare give up and keep trying. Fate is strange. You meet people, certain events happens, and all the pieces falls into place. Eventually, you will find what you are looking for. You can only look for it and allow it to happen. So, you got the message, Ace?"

Ace blinked dumbly, processing the long speech Maple made. "... You called me Ace."

Maple stared at him before bursting out laughing. "You pumpkins are priceless! Of all things to focus on…"

"But you have always called me by some other name, like Lacy, Daisy, Macy, which may I add are all girl names. You have never called me Ace for as long as I have known you!" Ace defended himself.

Maple rolled her eyes at Ace, much to his annoyance, and put down her needles. "Wait here for a sec, pumpkin." She stood up and walked away, leaving a confused five year-old boy. Ace waited and the smell of chocolate cookies fill the library. Droll dripped down his mouth, but Ace didn't care. He waited eagerly. "Here you go, Abigail!" She crouched down and offered him a platter of cookies, which he stuffs into his mouth one after another. Maple's cookies are delicious! Almost as good as Makino's cooking! Not to mention it was free and all for him.

There wasn't a crumb left when Ace was done.

"Well, Ace, you better get going. I will let you know if I get another shipment. I know for a fact that it is almost 1, and I recall a certain someone bragging about a certain class they have to attend," Maple said with a wink.

Ace gasped in horror. And it wasn't because Maple said his name properly twice in one day, which was unheard of.

"I FORGOT ABOUT LUNCH!" Ace screamed in horror. That was the greatest offense for a D! How could he forget about food?! Roger probably ate it all! Ace growled at the image. He was going to kill that man... or was it boy? Ugh! Still confusing.

Maple rolled her eyes once again. "Seriously, pumpkin? You are lucky you are adorable. Now, get out of here! Those cookies should satisfy you till you can get a proper meal. You are going to be late, Judy, if you don't get going," Maple scolded him and practically dragged him out of the library. She threw him out. Ace landed on his butt with a small thunk, and pain filled him. He winced and rubbed his bottom gently.

He glared at the laughing Maple, who closed the door after him. He scowled, but slowly stood up. The cookies should satisfy him. Thanks, Maple, he thought with a small smile.

Ace completely forgot about the threads. He wouldn't realize that the colors symbolized the flag he, Luffy, and Sabo made as kids for a very long time...

~OoOo~

"Well I am your instructor-" Blah, blah, blah. Ace sighed and played with the wooden sword in his hands. It was kind of old, dents decorating the sides of the sword. Much to his disappointment, they were using toy sword, but then again, these were a group of kids. Someone might have their hands or heads cut off. Ace had to squash the image of kids running around headless and handless. No needs for that, thank you very much.

He kind of wished Roger was here, as much as he disliked the boy. At least Roger actually provided him entertainment.

Ace sighed and looked up. When will they get to practice!? Ace glared at the instructor, who stumbled nervously at the glare. Ace hid a grin at the stammering that came out of the man's mouth. There was his entertainment.

After what was like forever, with the teacher teaching them proper sword techniques, he finally announced they can get started and try these techniques. Ace grinned eagerly. Yes! Finally!

He picked up his sword and looked around. They had to get into pairs. Then, he felt someone tap him on the shoulder.

He turned around and saw a blond boy, around the age of Roger. His eyes practically nervousness, huge contrast to his relaxed posture. The older boy played with his sword, looking around at the rest of the class nervously. Kids talked to others, quickly finding partners. Ace grew nervous because he needed to find a partner fast too. He waited impatiently for the boy to just spit out what he needed. The blond boy took a deep breath.

Ace frowned. Why does that boy look so familiar? Where has he seen his face before? The blond finally spoke loudly. Ace would never have guessed the next words coming out of his mouth.

"My name is Rayleigh. Mind being my partner?"

* * *

 

**-mysteryreader6626 signing out**

 


	5. Mother's Day Special

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the title you can tell how long I finished this... Ha... Ha... Ha... 
> 
> Please don't hate me or come at me with pitchforks? Please? Anyways, thank you for all the comments so far and kudos! They mean a lot! Anyways, let's just get this show on the road... I don't own One Piece! I forgot to do the disclaimer lately. Shame on me! 
> 
> Please comment and leave kudos! Enjoy! 
> 
> -mysteryreader6626 signing out

Ace gave a tired sigh. He looked helplessly at the blue sky, recalling the life before all of this. How was this possible? Was all those thoughts about rebirth actually true, or is this all a really bad dream?

No, it isn't a dream, Ace knew. He already punched Roger so many times with his tiny hands to know that the boy was VERY real. It was a horror that he was reborn WITH FREAKING ROGER WHO SHOULD GO FALL OFF A CLIFF, but on the somewhat-bright-side, he could cause the boy pain, which he took great pleasure in.

He gave another huge sigh, only for something wet to land on him. Ace wiped it off his face with his hands, and stared at it. It was spit, much to his disgust. Ace looked up to see a bald man laughing away, walking towards town. The bald man turned around, giving Ace a daring look to do something.

Anger fueled his veins. He leaped up, completely determined to give that rude man a piece of his mind. Ace was ready to run right after the man, when the man darted into a crowded street, near the square. He debated whether to go after the man or not. It was nearly impossible to find someone near the center of town, since it was always so crowded.

He looked at the clear blue skies. The sunlight danced upon his skin and the wind felt so good. The sounds of crashing waves soothed his nerves. It made him feel like he was on the sea once again. Oh, how he missed the freedom and instead stuck with a certain idiot.

Ace yawned and settled back into the grass. It wouldn't be bad to take a small nap, right? He could always ignore that bald man. If he saw him again, Ace would become his worst nightmare, but it wouldn't hurt to relax on a nice day like this, right?

It wasn't like he would've been attacked or anything (the bald man was a rare occurrence. No one was ever rude to Ace. Whether it was because they were scared of him, Roger, or Lura, was something he would never know). He was already developing a reputation to be one of the strongest kids in Loguetown. Sabo and Luffy would be proud, he thought with a fond smile.

The bright red of the sun shining through his eyelids were the last thing he saw, before everything went black.

~OoOo~

Poke.

Ace stirred. Who was poking his cheek? Maybe they would go away…

Poke. Poke. Jab.

"Luffy, stop it!" Ace groaned sleepily. He wanted to sleep! Luffy was basically jabbing his cheek at this point.

"Luffy? Who's Luffy? Aw, has my baby brother been making friends without telling me! You are growing up so fast…!" the voice cried out, all choked up.

There was only one person who would dare call him baby brother. No one on the Moby Dick dared to call him anything of the sort, unless they wanted a 2nd degree burn.

Shit, Ace cursed in his head. Why did he say Luffy? Just because he missed his baby brother, saying his name won't bring him here…

Ace opened his eyes groggily. The first thing he saw was an annoying grin, very similar to his own. Black eyes twinkled in joy and was that… tears?

"Shut up!" Ace yelled with traces of sleep in his voice. "I can make friends if I want!"

"You won't if you keep acting so moody," Roger replied with a loud laugh. His eyes sparkled with what was certainly tears. "My little baby brother finally making friends…" The nine year-old grinned stupidly at the thought. "They grow up so fast!"

Ace punched the boy harshly at his shoulder, not holding back at all. Roger just shrugged the punch off, rubbing it with his hands and his idiotic smile plastered on his face. Oh, how Ace despised that smile.

Ace did a low growl at the back of his throat. Why did Ace punch him so often? Ace loved, how at first, Roger would always wince (Roger never told Lura how it hurt. He "adored" his "baby brother" too much to tell on him), but now, it basically didn't hurt the boy at all. Roger developed a pain tolerance way too quickly, much to the four year-old's distaste.

"I am not a little baby brother," he told the older boy. And certainly not yours, Ace wanted to add, but it would be too suspicious if he claimed that. No one has heard to a reincarnated twenty-year-boy-turned-four-year-old and even if he told them the truth, they would probably think he was a bit crazy. Actually, a LOT crazy.

"Anyways, putting that aside, what are you doing today for Mother's Day?" Roger asked Ace. He poked Ace's chubby cheeks once more curiously. Ace just sighed. He gave up. Roger was going to do that until he lost interest.

"Mother's Day?" Ace echoed in confusion. Was that today?

Roger took his confusion as not knowing that that day was. "Oh, you were probably too young to remember it. It is a day that we celebrate mothers and everything they have done for us," he explained. "I was going to give mom a free dish of meat coupon."

Ace immediately zoomed in on the word meat. "How generous of you," Ace said completely serious. Roger giving a chance for free meat was as rare as Luffy not being hungry. All D.s were very possessive of their food, him included. Much to Lura's horror, Ace ate just about the same amount as Roger, though slightly less.

"I know, right! So, what are you going to give Mom?"

"Crap!" Ace exclaimed. Mother's Day was today! The realization finally sunk in after the distraction of food. He didn't have anything to give her! The last few years, Roger was mostly the one handled the gift and Ace just signed it with his messy handwriting. What should he do? Lura was special and was the mother he always wanted, but never had. She deserved something special.

"Ow!" Ace said after Roger slapped his head with a reprimanding expression.

"Don't say stuff like that," Roger scolded him. Ace just rolled his eyes. Crap wasn't even that bad of a word and as a pirate, he could say worst stuff. "You are four and you should watch your language."

"Yeah, yeah," Ace replied mockingly. "Says the dude who can swear like a sailor."

Roger just grinned at him, unashamed. Roger was quite proud of that little bit. Hanging out with old sailors gave the boy quite the vocabulary, Ace knew. He, on the other hand, didn't really hang out with those old men, who always were drunk at a bar and bragged about their old lives. He already lived through it, so it could be quite boring listening to them drag on forever in their drunken voices. Listening to stories could never compare to actually doing it. Ace couldn't wait to get out of this city and set sail. Doing what, he hasn't really decided. Should he look for Oyaji or find a way to return home?

Ace pushed that question to the back of his mind. He should focus on the problem right now. Now, what should he do to scrap up a gift quickly enough to present to their mom? Ace had no idea what so ever.

"You forgot today was Mother's Day?" Roger asked curiously. "I can help with your gift, ya know."

Ace bit his lip, but reluctantly nodded. He hadn't really grown up with a mother, and not really good with gift giving. The most he was done for any parent figure he had was like giving Dadan some food, helping Makino out in her bar, and giving Pops a bottle of good sake, much to the nurses' disapproval. What could he give possibly give Lura? He doubted she would like sake or food, and if he helped her out in the shop, she would take full advantage of it. Ace didn't want to put himself through torture, thank you very much.

"Yay! My Acey asked for my help!" Roger yelled, jumping up with his arms up in the air victoriously. He started to dance around, doing some kind of ridiculous happy dance. Roger looked like an awkward dolphin trying to learn how to walk. In other words, he was TERRIBLE.

"Stop acting like an idiot and let's go," Ace said, standing up. He couldn't prevent the small smile at the older boy's antics, but it was quickly wiped away as fast as it appeared.

Roger caught Ace's smile and grinned even wider. He loved his baby brother so much. It was kind of a disappointment how independent and mature the boy was. He learned to talk, read, and walk so fast! Even their mom was a bit upset that Ace didn't really needed her help, but Roger was still happy all the same. He finally had a baby brother he could watch and protect! Though he wouldn't admit that to Ace. He would probably punch him.

~OoOo~

"Roger, why are we in a meat shop?" Ace asked bluntly to the other boy. They walked into a butcher's store. Lined of meats of all kind hanged overhead them. Some were cooked, and others weren't. A delicious smell of meat overwhelmed his senses. Ace couldn't stop the trail of drool, much to his embarrassment. He was here to look for a present, not for delicious.. Wonderful… Food…

DAMMIT ROGER! Ace cursed loudly, much to the surprise of onlookers, but it wasn't like he cared. He was hungry now! (Though a D. was basically always hungry…) He turned around to his older brother, but the nine year-old wasn't paying attention. He was staring straight at a golden brown roasted chicken.

Ace sighed. Figures Roger wasn't going to be any help. Staying here won't help him find a present, and time was ticking by. Ace turned right around and was about to walk right out the doors, when…

"Hey! Kid! Mind bringing that boy with you?" the butcher called out to him. He turned around to see a bald man, wearing a blue T-shirt splattered with blood, giving him a pleading look. Ace recognized him! He was the man from this afternoon!

Ace gave an evil smile and gace him the middle finger to the gaping bald man, before walking right out of there. Roger would probably dine-n-dash, taking much of his goods with him. Probably would clean that shop right out. Ace smirked. Ah, that will teach him for spitting on me. He will probably lose a couple thousand thanks to Roger, Ace thought smugly. Huh. I never thought I would thank that bastard ever...

He looked up at the clear blue skies. He had some money in his pocket, right? Maybe he could go buy something? The market won't close for a while, so that will give him plenty of time to find something for Lura.

Ace grinned at his plan. He nodded his head approvingly at the idea, and marched right towards the market. For certain, he should be able to find the perfect gift there… Right?

~OoOo~

Wrong! Nothing! Nothing at all!

The only things he found was jewelry, which he couldn't afford, flowers, cards, etc. Nothing matched up the Ace's expectations. All of those things were a bit typical. He wanted something a little different for his mother. Was that wrong of him? He didn't want anything cliche for her. Lura deserved the best of the best.

Ace shivered from the cold air. At times like this, he really missed his devil fruit. He rubbed his hands fiercely on the goosebumps that covered his body. He glanced around, watching the bright lights from the stores or stalls flicker out as people started to pack up for the day.

He looked up at the black sky and the stars begin to twinkle. The moon was shining brightly, much to his fear.

"Fuck, are you kidding?" Ace exclaimed. Mother's Day was almost over and he still didn't have a present! He looked sound desperately, to see an old building with ancient oak doors cracked open. A bright light shined between the crack. They were still open!

Ace couldn't decipher the words of the store because it was too dark, but dashed for that old building. There were no windows to do window shopping, but he honestly didn't care. He was really desperate now.

Ace slammed the doors open. The shock of the slam shook some objects, making a whole bunch of dust fly in the air. Ace sneezed when the dust tickled his nose. He looked at the bright room, only to feel his heart drop in disappointment.

All around him was books. Shelves, and shelves of old and dusty books. What was this place?

"Oh, why a cute little pumpkin was wandered into here~" cackled a voice from somewhere in the room. Ace glanced around in confusion. Where was the voice? He glanced down at his black shirt, where there was an orange pumpkin. How did she know I am wearing this shirt? Where is the voice coming from, which I can't see?

"Where are you?" He called out in confusion. "And what is this place?"

"Why, little innocent pumpkin, this is the library. Where else!" The female voice cackled. The clicking of something echoed in the empty room, making it feel so much emptier than it already was. The room was empty, besides that mysterious voice.

"We have a library?" Ace echoed in confusion. Dawn Island didn't have a library where he previously grew up. Perhaps because it was so small and was full of farmers, who didn't educate themselves much. He didn't think Loguetown would be any different.

"Why, of course! What else would this place be? Did you wander in here without knowing what this building was?" The voice teased. The voice, which sounded like an older female, started to hum, along to the clicking sound. Was she perhaps, knitting? It sounded like it. It was the same sound from when Lura knits them sweaters.

"Maybe? I thought this might be a shop. It is Mother's Day and I want to get my mom a gift, but I couldn't find anything," Ace replied sheepishly. He rubbed the back of head nervously. He could still feel the disappointment of this not being a shop. What shall he give Mom now?

"Hm… Maybe I can help you with this problem!" The voice sang in a high pitch. Ace winced from the terrible singing. It sounded like cats screaming murder.

"Can you?" Ace asked eagerly. He pushed the terrible singing aside. Perhaps this person could help him!

"Maybe~ What is your name, pumpkin?"

"Ace!" Ace replied impatiently at the cryptic answers. He had to get back home soon. It was getting late. He wanted a straight answer, thank you very much.

"Macy?" The person echoed in confusion, after the name echoed throughout the empty room from his yell several times.

"No, it is Ace," he replied with frustration. How the heck can you get Macy and Ace confused?

"Eh, okay Lace. Anyways, have you ever heard the saying how the best gifts come from the heart?" The lady replied.

"No." He blinked slowly at the words. What was that saying? He had never heard of it.

"Really? You, little boy, better start reading more. Anyways, I have the perfect idea." The clicking noise stopped and there was loud ruffling of fabrics. What was going on?

Ace looked around in confusion, searching for the voice, only to gasp when a woman was in front of him, holding a basket, appearing out of thin air. Was this lady a freaking ninja or something!? Ace gasped loudly for having a near heart attack from the surprise. He glanced at the item in the woman's arms. The weaved basket contained glue, thread, Popsicle sticks, paint, you name it. The woman shoved the basket into a confused Ace's arms.

"I hope you know what to do with this," the woman said with a twinkle in her eyes. "Good luck, Pumpkin."

"What?" Ace managed to say in surprise before he was shoved out of the library with a basket full of craft supplies. He looked back as the door shut closed loudly. He looked helplessly down at the basket. What should he do with this? He looked around and spotted a small table nearby. Perhaps he should craft something for his mom? Is that what that mysterious librarian (at least, he assumes that is the librarian) meant? He looked at a family walking by happily, holding hands, with a huge smile on each of their faces.

"Mom, Dad, let's go home!" A young boy from the family exclaimed happily. The parents laughed and smiled, before picking up the boy onto the father's shoulders. They all walked away, heading towards home.

That gave Ace an idea. He dashed towards the wooden table, trying to ignore the cold. Perhaps that is what he shall make! A home!

~OoOo~

Lura hummed as she dusted the shop, pausing at a window's display. There was a huge old sign that said, "NOT FOR SALE" It stood in front of a Popsicle house, painted red, blue, and green. Each of Roger's, Ace's, and Lura's favorite color. In front of the house was a crude replica of each of her sons, holding hands with her. Lura smiled fondly and dusted the somewhat old house, humming louder. That was the best Mother's Day gift she ever had and she was proud to have it on display for the world to see.

She listened to yells from outside, and immediately knew it was her sons. She shook her head in disappointment, but her grin stayed on her face. She was a proud mother, that's for sure.


	6. Getting my Butt Handed To Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be sleeping, but... Anyways, enjoy the chapter and ignore the terrible fighting scene! I know, I know. I sucked at it. It made me cringe too. I don't own One Piece! Please leave comments or kudos! Thank you for watching!

"My name is Rayleigh. Mind being my partner?"

The words comprehended in Ace's brain. Rayleigh…THE Silvers Rayleigh was right in front of him. He was a living being on his father's crew, (Yeah. Talk about a downside) Ace may not love his father or his former crew, but even HE had to admire Silvers Rayleigh.

". . .What?" Ace asked dumbly. Wow…Real smooth Ace. Way to sound like an idiot, but in his defense, he still couldn't comprehend who was right in front of him. For pirate's sake, IT WAS FUCKING SILVERS RAYLEIGH!

"I said would you like to be my partner," Rayleigh repeated. His eyes shifted around the room, where others kids chattered about and started to prepare to practice.

"Sure?" It came out more as a question. Ace stared blankly at the blond boy. It really hasn't sunk it yet at all.

"Good," Rayleigh replied with relief filling his voice. Ace tried to give a smile to the older boy, but it came out as more of a grimace. Rayleigh may seem relaxed, but don't judge a book by its cover. He of all people should know that phrase the best.

"My name is Gol D. Ace. So…shall be fight now?" Ace asked with unsureness filling his voice. What should he do? Start distancing himself from the boy that would become his brother/father's first mate? Or admire and learn from the boy right now to learn tricks that would be useful in the future?

Ace sighed, and decided to think about that later. Just go back to how you normally act, and maybe beat that boy. Maybe it was cheating a bit, since Ace was technically fifteen years older, counting this life and his actual age, (or was it younger? Well, technically a lot younger since he was born years later) than him, but since when were pirates fair? If it means bragging rights that he technically "beat" Silvers Rayleighs. Of course, when he got back. Luffy and the rest won't have to know the keyword: when. That is, if he got back at all.

"Oy, get ready. Let's see how long you will stand there?" Rayleigh called Ace over. Rayleigh held his wooden sword in his hand comfortingly. He obviously fought with this weapon before, Ace thought. The thought made Ace even more excited. He was going to fight a living legend!

Ace strode up to Rayleigh confidently. Rayleigh was ten years old, for crying out loud! Ace fought worse. Being a commander had its ups and downs (mainly paperwork. Paperwork was a fucking NIGHTMARE! He may or may have not burned some stacks of them one or two times… or twenty times…or more) but it was always fun to duel with one of the other commanders, like Jozu or Haruta. Also, being a kid means people misjudge him and think he is weaker than he actually is. That is something people always regretted, in this life or the last.

Rayleigh couldn't be that bad since he is still a kid… Right?

"Ready?" Ace asked with a wide smirk. "You are so going down."

Rayleigh rolled his eyes at the younger boy's words. "I have been attending this class for as long as I could remember. This is your first class. It is a tradition for me to…welcome…new students to see what they are made of."

"So…you basically challenge others and beat them up to pulp to scare them for fun?"

"Perhaps," Rayleigh chuckled and swung his sword up into the air, before catching it. "How did you know?"

"Probably because I used to do that…" Ace mumbled softly, unaware that he said those thoughts out loud.

"What did you just say?" Rayleigh asked curiously.

"Nothing!" Ace exclaimed. No way he was going to tell Rayleigh he used to do that when he was a kid, before he met Sabo and Luffy. He beat people up to scare them to giving him their money, half for needing it and half for fun. He put a lot of people in bad condition with his pipe. Not exactly his proudest moment, thank you very much. He was very bitter about his father, but now… he has a better father that he was proud of. I hope Pops is okay, he thought wistfully. I hope I can see him soon.

"Okay," Rayleigh stated, giving Ace a weird look. Ace just shrugged it off. That wasn't a first for him, with his narcolepsy and all. Weird looks came quite often. It wasn't his fault he fell asleep everywhere! On the bright side, in this life, he doesn't have the disease (thank whoever-is-out-there), he practically falls asleep everywhere, just less frequently. Maybe it has something to do with being a D, Ace thought, thinking about Roger, who fell asleep while giving a dramatic story just yesterday, and Garp snoring during his "training" when he was a kid.

He was getting off really topic. He should focus on the fight! The two were standing in the middle of the room talking instead of swinging. The teacher gave Ace a look to start moving his sword. Ace just gave a glare back at the interruption and the teacher flinched.

"So, can we start?" Rayleigh said confidently bringing Ace's attention back to the blond. Ace hummed in reply.

Ace gave Rayleigh a toothy smile. "You're so on."

~OoOo~

Ace fell back on his butt, his sword landing next to him with a loud clunk. Ace rubbed his butt, reminding himself of what Maple did back at the library when she threw him out. And here he thought beating Rayleigh would be easy! There is only one word to describe Silvers Rayleigh: A FUCKING MONSTER EVEN AS A KID! Well, technically that is several words, but since when has Ace cared about technicalities?

"Ready to give up?" Rayleigh asked, still looming over Ace's small body.

Ace snorted and gave a smirk. "I'm just getting started."

Ace jumped back onto his feet and grabbed his sword. He lunged towards Rayleigh, which the other boy quickly blocked. Ace gritted his teeth, adrenaline pumping through his veins. Even as a kid, Silvers Rayleigh was strong. Very strong, for the matter of fact.

"My, you are persistent," Rayleigh noted before pushing Ace backwards and slashing him. Ace jumped out of the way and tried to attack toward Rayleigh's legs. Rayleigh effortlessly dodged it and brought his sword towards Ace's head. Ace blocked it, but was slowly being pushed to the ground. Ace bit his lip and tried to push up, but Rayleigh had the clear advantage of being bigger and stronger than Ace.

Damn it. If this was a fight with fists, Ace could easily beat Rayleigh. This was embarrassing. He has been to the New World, yet he can't beat a ten year-old in a sword fight! He was technically an adult! Again, Silvers Rayleigh was a fucking monster with a sword. He was strong as hell, that blond boy, that's for sure. Nothing less of the First Mate of the Pirate King, Ace hated to admit.

At least, what Ace didn't have in sword fight skills, he made up with future knowledge. Ace rolled out of the way, Rayleigh's sword clanked to the wooden floor where Ace once was, allowing a soft thunk resound. He used that move once when an annoying captain tried to take his head in a fight. Maybe it was a bit unfair, using his future knowledge when in this life, he would have no experience in a sword fight, but then again, since when was a pirate ever fair?

Ace jumped up and got into fighting position. Rayleigh looked up from the floor, picked up his sword, and mimicked Ace.

"Well, if I wasn't persistent, then life would be no fun," Ace replied and grinned at the older boy.

Rayleigh smirked and did a thrust with his wooden sword toward Ace. Ace jumped out of the way, but the sword scratched his skin. Ace raised his eyebrows at the slight sting of pain. Looks like his fighting skills against swords was a bit rusty. That was a bit slow of a dodge. If that was a real sword, that would leave a scar, Ace thought with a frown. I really needed this class.

"Touché," Rayleigh replied. "Ready to give up?"

"Nope," Ace replied, popping the P. "Not even close."

"Good, because neither am I."

~OoOo~

"So… I heard you have an older brother. Is he any good as you are in a fight?" Rayleigh asked with a competitive grin as he stared into Ace's face.

Ace frowned. Rayleigh just had to bring that up when he was enjoying himself! "Don't ask me about that bastard, much less compare him to me," Ace growled and jumped back when Rayleigh overpowered him.

Rayleigh whistled lowly. "Wow, quite a vocabulary you got there. Aren't you a bit young?"

"Shut up!" Ace snapped at the blondie and kicked Rayleigh in the gut, pushing him back. Rayleigh slid back a bit in the floor, clutching his rib.

Rayleigh gave a grin that promised pain. "Well, maybe I did deserve that a little bit, but perhaps I should pressure more about this subject! Isn't his name Roger?"

"Yes, and he is a idiot and should go to hell," Ace replied before trying to slash Rayleigh who was still on the ground. Once again, Rayleigh dodged it, much to Ace's annoyance, and jumped back up.

"Wow. Isn't that a bit harsh for someone in your family?" Rayleigh asked curiously.

"No," Ace replied with gritted teeth. "Aren't you a bit too curious for your own good?"

Rayleigh shrugged. "Perhaps. If it makes you feel better, it is just for you."

"That makes feel so much better," Ace said with his voice dripping with sarcasm. He tried to attack Rayleigh in his rage when thinking about his stupid brother. Why… Why does it have to be him that he was reborn with!? Channeling his anger at himself, Akainu for killing him, and fate for reincarnating him with the one person he hated most, he used that anger as power towards Rayleigh.

Rayleigh effortlessly blocked each attempt and it only took a split second when there was a huge hole in Ace's defenses to disarm his sword. Ace blinked in surprise when the wooden sword wasn't in his hands, but instead on the floor next to him.

"You know, attacking in a blind rage isn't the best strategy. It is best to plan ahead a bit, like me who was just waiting for the perfect moment to disarm you, instead acting all headstrong. That kind of attitude will get you killed," Rayleigh noted with a sympathetic look in his face.

Ace frowned at the irony, before picking up his sword. His shoulders slumped in defeat. All the anger inside of him dissipated and only guilt remained for acting like he was. That same attitude DID get him killed and now he was stuck in the past with no answers. If anything, this was all his fault. His fault for trying to pursue Teach despite being warned, Pops being dead, and…and leaving Luffy all alone. The fact that he broke his promise. His hot temper was literally the death of him. Despite wishing for anything but sympathy on Rayleigh's face, Ace knew he had no one to blame, but himself.

"I know. I know." Ace sighed before looking up at the blond boy, understanding why he was the First Mate of the future Pirate King. "Good fight," Ace reluctantly admitted.

Rayleigh blinked in surprise at the complete 360 in attitude, but nonetheless, gave a grin and held out his hand. "You too. Let's fight again. For someone your age, you can certainly give me a run for my money."

Ace chuckled and grabbed that hand. He gave a firm shake, plastering a huge smile on his face.

"That is a promise." That is a promise Ace can keep for certain.

~OoOo~

"How was the class? Did you like it?" Lura asked when Ace exited the building. The building was a huge room to practice different types of fighting instead of having several different businesses for each style. On one side of the wall was lined with a bunch of targets for archery and on other was lined with different types of equipment for different types of fighting styles.

"Okay," Ace replied, distracted with the thoughts of, well, everything.

Lura huffed loudly and yanked on Ace's ears harshly. "Don't just say okay! Explain more," she scolded him. "I paid for these classes and you better be enjoying them, or no food, and you know what Roger will say if I cut back on the food!"

Ace winced at the memory. It was like dealing with a hungry Luffy. It was the worst.

"Got it," Ace submitted. "The class was okay, but kind of boring in my opinion, but…" But I met the guy who is going to sail with Roger, you know, my brother, and who is going to conquer the Grand Line with. Also, Roger is going to be the most wanted and hated criminal and earns the title Pirate King. Oh yeah, big brother is also my dad but I died and got myself reincarnated!

…

Yeah, that sounded just plain crazy.

"But what?" Lura pushed her son.

Ace just gave a huge smile. Lying, after all, is what pirates do best. He has done it almost his whole life about his family, and now in this life about the truth about himself.

"It was really great to learn about swordfighting though!" Ace said gleefully with a fake smile.

"Good. Now that wasn't so hard, now was it?" Lura teased. Ace just rolled his eyes and just pouted at his mother.

"See ya later, Ace!" Rayleigh called with a man with a doctor's coat. Rayleigh grinned when Lura's attention jumped to Rayleigh. The man next to Rayleigh, perhaps his dad, just dragged the boy away. Rayleigh continued to wave eagerly at the frozen Ace, even when he was being dragged away.

Ace felt appalled. What was Rayleigh doing? Did… Did the bastard plan to do that when his mom was around? Was he planning to embarrass Ace? Lura for SURE would overreact at the mere idea of him finally having friends. Everyone knew that Lura wanted her sons to make friends! The whole island knew. His mom complained that to everyone she met. Ace wouldn't be surprised if Rayleigh knew all along.

"Oh dear! Is my Ace finally making some friends?" Lura squealed in excitement. Her eyes sparkled with uncontained joy. Oh, how long she wanted for this day! Five years, in fact!

"He isn't my friend!" Ace protested. Lura just grabbed her son and smothered him with hugs and kisses.

"It is nothing to be embarrassed about! It is perfectly fine for a boy your age having friends, even if they are a bit older than you. That is fantastic! I was so worried when you didn't have any friends. Oh, what is his name? How did you two meet?" Lura interrogated him.

Her smile dazzled Ace, so he didn't have the heart to protest again. His mother must have quite worried about him not having friends. A warm feeling filled Ace. It was much like how he felt when the Whitebeard Pirates first accepted him. It was… comforting.

"Oh, you must invite him to Roger's birthday!" Lura cooed loudly.

"Mom, you're embarrassing me!" Ace complained loudly, and indeed she was. Everyone was looking at him!

Lura giggled at her adorable (and very stubborn) son. Ace had a light pink blush painted across his freckled cheeks, which made Lura giggle more. He certainly acted like a five year-old sometimes, no matter how mature Ace acted, compared to Roger. Then again, everyone was more mature than Roger.

"Shut up, Mom!" Ace whined, with a huge grin on his face. Sure, things were a bit complicated with his dead father as his brother and he wasn't sure what happened after he died, but while he was here, he might as well enjoy it. Starting with being smothered in his mother's teasing and giggles.

 

 

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**-mysteryreader6626 signing out**

 


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